The Huskies picked up their third win of the season, defeating Santa Clara, 82-68, in the Vancouver Classic. Washington was led by sophomore Jaylen Nowell who tied a career high with 32 points.
Literally everything Nowell was shooting was going in. It got no better for the Seattle native when Nowell was driving baseline and had to throw up a shot over the backboard that somehow found the bottom of the net. Nowell was a scoring machine all night, showing his ability to make shots from all over the floor. Nowell was 11-of-14 from the field and was 4-of-6 from the 3-point line. The sophomore’s play should come as no surprise considering Nowell was named to the Jerry West Award watch list before the season. The award is given to the best shooting guard in college basketball at the end of the season.
Thanks to Jaylen Nowell’s 21 points in the first 20 minutes of play, the Huskies took a 42-32 lead into halftime. Washington picked up right where they started in the second half with quick 5-0 run after a 17-foot jump shot and 3-pointer by Nowell giving UW a 47-32 lead. Santa Clara would never get within single digits in the second half as Dominic Green’s 3-pointer with 4:17 remaining gave UW a 69-56 lead – all but sealing the game for Washington.
All though UW scored a season high 82 points it was UW’s intensity on the defensive end that stood out. Washington had eight blocks and eight steals on the night. The Huskies also held Santa Clara to just 4-of-20 shooting from 3-point range.
Outside of Jaylen Nowell, Noah Dickerson and Dominic Green were the only other Huskies to score in double figures. Green finished with 13 points. Dickerson scored 11.
Washington improves to 3-1 on the season.
Lineup change
Coach Mike Hopkins made a change in the starting lineup tonight. Sophomore Hameir Wright started in the place of center Sam Timmins who started UW’s previous three games. Wright finished the night with four points and two rebounds before fouling out with 5:34 to play. Timmins in limited action finished with two points and two rebounds. It’s clear UW is still searching for something at center.
Takeaway
The Huskies played more like they should against a weaker opponent. Santa Clara lost their first two games to Prairie View A&M and UC Irvine by a combined 29 points. Washington had multiple opportunities to win this game by 20 plus points but couldn’t quite pull away. UW still has plenty to work on but a 3-1 start won’t hurt. Moving forward the Huskies must get better play at the center position and must move the ball around more on offense.
Looking ahead
The Huskies have two games to play in the Vancouver Showcase. After an off day tomorrow, UW will be back in action at 8:30 p.m. against Texas A&M on Tuesday. Washington will conclude their Vancouver Showcase appearance with a matchup against Minnesota on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
